It’s been so cold. Like, highs in the low 50’s and rainy. But not soothing, open the windows and curl up with a book rain. Nope. Cold, spitting mist. I cannot believe it’s almost May. When this first started, I assumed we would be back to work by mid-May, and now who knows. At least I can work from home, and I’m taking full advantage of not having a commute. I’ve been trying to get in some workouts. I’ve been playing A LOT of God of War and reading more. I hope that any of the positive habits I’ve instilled follow me past the isolation.
Since it’s been so cold and moral has been kind of low, this weekend I decided to make caramel apple oatmeal. It was warm and sweet and spicy like good apple pie. I made the caramel from scratch, but if you are intimidated or have a jar of caramel topping in your fridge use that instead!
Ingredients for Oatmeal
- Two TBSP of salted butter
- Two medium apples, any kind, skin on or off, diced
- Three TSP King Arthur yuletide cheer spice (this may be a seasonal offering from them; I can’t find it on their website currently). You can also use:
- 1/2 TSP of ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, and ground allspice
- 1/4 TSP of nutmeg and ground coriander
- 1/2 a lemon worth of juice
- Two cups of milk (I used dairy, but you can use any kind)
- Two cups of old fashioned rolled oats
- Kosher or pink salt
- One TSP vanilla extract
- Two TSP white sugar
- Brown Sugar to Taste
- Crushed Walnuts or Pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, until it starts to turn brown and smell nutty.
- Add half the apple and all the spices, cooking until the apple starts to soften.
- Add the rest of the apple and cook until the first half is very soft and the second half are beginning to soften.
- Finish with lemon juice
- In a saucepan, bring milk to a gentle boil.
- Stir in vanilla extract and salt.
- Stir in oats and reduce heat to a bare simmer, cooking until oats are creamy.
- Add brown sugar, then taste for sugar and salt, adjusting both to taste. Add more milk if the oats seem too stiff.
- Transfer oats to a bowl, topping with apples, crushed walnuts or pecans, and caramel sauce.
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